.gif "IP Gear")
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2007
- Messages
- 387
Sorry guys if this sounds stupid but I am a little confused with this supplement. I have never taken it before and have been reading up on it for more information.
Sorry for the length!
On the one hand Bodybuilding.com says:
1. What is it and where does it come from?
Nitric Oxide is a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate with other cells in the body. To produce this gas, enzymes in the body break down the amino acid Arginine.
Nitric Oxide is a molecule consisting of one atom of nitrogen and one atom of oxygen. The production of Nitric Oxide occurs when the amino acid L-arginine is converted into L-citruline through an enzyme group known as Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS). The chemical process of conversion is shown in figure 1.
2. What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?
Despite the claims of some in the supplement industry, there exists ample scientific literature to suggest the efficacy of Nitric Oxide products. The following was written in May 1996 in a document prepared for the Royal Society and Association of British Science Writers:
"Summary research papers continue to flood the scientific journals and insights into the biological activity and potential clinical uses of nitric oxide (NO): a gas controlling a seemingly limitless range of functions in the body. Each revelation adds to nitric oxide's already lengthy resume in controlling the circulation of the blood, regulating activities of the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and other organs."
Since the above was written in 1996, Nitric Oxide containing products have continued to be touted by those in the medical profession, as well as by athletes looking to add muscle to their frames.
The above quotation states that Nitric Oxide controls the circulation of blood, and transmits messages between nerve cells.
The fact that nitric oxide increases blood flow should make it of interest to bodybuilders, as increased blood flow will serve to deliver more nutrients to muscles, thus helping muscles become larger when subject to stress.*
Nitric oxide also affects the endocrine system. It affects the release of gonadotroptin releasing hormone, as well as the release of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla.*
3. Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?
Everyone REQUIRES nitric oxide to carry out key physiological processes within the body. From a bodybuilder's perspective, nitric oxide supplementation may prove useful in increasing growth due to increases in blood flow to certain areas of the body.*
Signs of deficiency include physical weakness and extreme fatigue. Most "nitric oxide" supplements contain the amino acid Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate.
4. How much should be taken? Are there any side effects?
With any amino acid containing product, overdose is a possibility. Dosing with too much arginine can lead to diarrhea, weakness and nausea. Clear dosing guidelines have not been established, so it is best to do what is known as "tolerance mapping". Take a small dosage for one week, note the benefits and the side effects, and increase the dosage until the benefits are maximized and the side effects minimized. Over time the two will converge and you will hit the optimal dose. This process is similar to "receptor mapping" for bodybuilders who use insulin.
Many protein powders are fortified with amino acids, including arginine. With this in mind, pay particular attention to how much arginine you are ingesting from all supplements taken.
But a CardioVascular site says:
Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by many cells in the body; however, its production by vascular endothelium is particularly important in the regulation of blood flow. Because of its importance in vascular function, abnormal production of NO, as occurs in different disease states, can adversely affect blood flow and other vascular functions.
NO Biosynthesis
NO is produced from the amino acid L-arginine by the enzymatic action of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). There are two endothelial forms of NOS: constitutive NOS (cNOS; type III) and inducible NOS (iNOS; type II). Co-factors for NOS include oxygen, NADPH, tetrahydrobiopterin and flavin adenine nucleotides. In addition to endothelial NOS, there is a neural NOS (nNOS; type I) that serves as a transmitter in the brain and in different nerves of the peripheral nervous system, such as non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) autonomic nerves that innervate penile erectile tissues and other specialized tissues in the body to produce vasodilation.
Under normal, basal conditions in blood vessels, NO is continually being produced by cNOS. The activity of cNOS is calcium and calmodulin dependent. There are two basic pathways for the stimulation of cNOS, both of which involve release of calcium ions from subsarcolemmal storage sites. First, shearing forces acting on the vascular endothelium generated by blood flow causes a release of calcium and subsequent cNOS activation. Therefore, increases in blood flow stimulate NO formation (flow-dependent NO formation). Second, endothelial receptors for a variety of ligands stimulate calcium release and subsequent NO production (receptor-stimulated NO formation). Included are receptors for acetylcholine, bradykinin, substance-P, adenosine, and many others vasoactive substances. In the late 1970s, Dr. Robert Furchgott observed that acetylcholine released a substance that produced vascular relaxation, but only when the endothelium was intact. This observation opened this field of research and eventually led to his receiving a Nobel prize. Initially, Furchgott called this substance endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), but by the mid-1980 he and others identified this substance as being NO.
The other isoform of endothelial NOS is iNOS. It differs, in part, from cNOS in that its activation is calcium independent. Under normal, basal conditions, the activity of iNOS is very low. The activity of iNOS is stimulated during inflammation by bacterial endotoxins (e.g., lipopolysaccharide) and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukins. During inflammation, the amount of NO produced by iNOS may be a 1,000-fold greater than that produced by cNOS.
Intracellular Mechanisms
When NO forms, it has a half-life of only a few seconds, in large part because superoxide anion has a high affinity for NO (both molecules have an unpaired electron making them highly reactive). Therefore, superoxide anion reduces NO bioavailability. NO also avidly binds to the heme moiety of hemoglobin (in red blood cells) and the heme moiety of the enzyme guanylyl cyclase, which is found in vascular smooth muscle cells and most other cells of the body. Therefore, when NO is formed by vascular endothelium, it rapidly diffuses into the blood where it binds to hemoglobin and subsequently broken down. It also diffuses into the vascular smooth muscle cells adjacent to the endothelium where it binds to and activates guanylyl cyclase. This enzyme catalyzes the dephosphorylation of GTP to cGMP, which serves as a second messenger for many important cellular functions, particularly for signalling smooth muscle relaxation.
Cyclic GMP induces smooth muscle relaxation by multiple mechanisms including
increased intracellular cGMP, which inhibits calcium entry into the cell, and decreases intracellular calcium concentrations (click here for details)
activates K+ channels, which leads to hyperpolarization and relaxation
stimulates a cGMP-dependent protein kinase that activates myosin light chain phosphatase, the enzyme that dephosphorylates myosin light chains, which leads to smooth muscle relaxation.
Because of the central role of cGMP in NO-mediated vasodilation, drugs (e.g., Viagra®) that inhibit the breakdown of cGMP (cGMP-dependent phosphodiesterase inhibitors) are used to enhance NO-mediated vasodilation, particularly in penile erectile tissue in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Increased cGMP also has an important anti-platelet, anti-aggregatory effect.
Vascular Effects of NO
Vascular actions of NO include the following:
Direct vasodilation (flow dependent and receptor mediated)
Indirect vasodilation by inhibiting vasoconstrictor influences (e.g., inhibits angiotensin II and sympathetic vasoconstriction)
Anti-thrombotic effect - inhibits platelet adhesion to the vascular endothelium
Anti-inflammatory effect - inhibits leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium; scavenges superoxide anion
Anti-proliferative effect - inhibits smooth muscle hyperplasia
Because of the above actions of NO, when its production is impaired or its bioavailability is reduced, the following can result:
Vasoconstriction (e.g., coronary vasospasm, elevated systemic vascular resistance, hypertension)
Thrombosis due to platelet aggregation and adhesion to vascular endothelium
Inflammation due to upregulation of leukocyte and endothelial adhesion molecules
Vascular hypertrophy and stenosis
Diseases or Conditions Associated with Abnormal NO Production and Bioavailability
Hypertension
Obesity
Dyslipidemias (particularly hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia)
Diabetes (both type I and II)
Heart failure
Atherosclerosis
Aging
Cigarette smoking
So could you all give me your opinion and post your experience with this supplement please?
Sorry for the length!
On the one hand Bodybuilding.com says:
1. What is it and where does it come from?
Nitric Oxide is a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate with other cells in the body. To produce this gas, enzymes in the body break down the amino acid Arginine.
Nitric Oxide is a molecule consisting of one atom of nitrogen and one atom of oxygen. The production of Nitric Oxide occurs when the amino acid L-arginine is converted into L-citruline through an enzyme group known as Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS). The chemical process of conversion is shown in figure 1.
2. What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?
Despite the claims of some in the supplement industry, there exists ample scientific literature to suggest the efficacy of Nitric Oxide products. The following was written in May 1996 in a document prepared for the Royal Society and Association of British Science Writers:
"Summary research papers continue to flood the scientific journals and insights into the biological activity and potential clinical uses of nitric oxide (NO): a gas controlling a seemingly limitless range of functions in the body. Each revelation adds to nitric oxide's already lengthy resume in controlling the circulation of the blood, regulating activities of the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and other organs."
Since the above was written in 1996, Nitric Oxide containing products have continued to be touted by those in the medical profession, as well as by athletes looking to add muscle to their frames.
The above quotation states that Nitric Oxide controls the circulation of blood, and transmits messages between nerve cells.
The fact that nitric oxide increases blood flow should make it of interest to bodybuilders, as increased blood flow will serve to deliver more nutrients to muscles, thus helping muscles become larger when subject to stress.*
Nitric oxide also affects the endocrine system. It affects the release of gonadotroptin releasing hormone, as well as the release of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla.*
3. Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?
Everyone REQUIRES nitric oxide to carry out key physiological processes within the body. From a bodybuilder's perspective, nitric oxide supplementation may prove useful in increasing growth due to increases in blood flow to certain areas of the body.*
Signs of deficiency include physical weakness and extreme fatigue. Most "nitric oxide" supplements contain the amino acid Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate.
4. How much should be taken? Are there any side effects?
With any amino acid containing product, overdose is a possibility. Dosing with too much arginine can lead to diarrhea, weakness and nausea. Clear dosing guidelines have not been established, so it is best to do what is known as "tolerance mapping". Take a small dosage for one week, note the benefits and the side effects, and increase the dosage until the benefits are maximized and the side effects minimized. Over time the two will converge and you will hit the optimal dose. This process is similar to "receptor mapping" for bodybuilders who use insulin.
Many protein powders are fortified with amino acids, including arginine. With this in mind, pay particular attention to how much arginine you are ingesting from all supplements taken.
But a CardioVascular site says:
Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by many cells in the body; however, its production by vascular endothelium is particularly important in the regulation of blood flow. Because of its importance in vascular function, abnormal production of NO, as occurs in different disease states, can adversely affect blood flow and other vascular functions.
NO Biosynthesis
NO is produced from the amino acid L-arginine by the enzymatic action of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). There are two endothelial forms of NOS: constitutive NOS (cNOS; type III) and inducible NOS (iNOS; type II). Co-factors for NOS include oxygen, NADPH, tetrahydrobiopterin and flavin adenine nucleotides. In addition to endothelial NOS, there is a neural NOS (nNOS; type I) that serves as a transmitter in the brain and in different nerves of the peripheral nervous system, such as non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) autonomic nerves that innervate penile erectile tissues and other specialized tissues in the body to produce vasodilation.
Under normal, basal conditions in blood vessels, NO is continually being produced by cNOS. The activity of cNOS is calcium and calmodulin dependent. There are two basic pathways for the stimulation of cNOS, both of which involve release of calcium ions from subsarcolemmal storage sites. First, shearing forces acting on the vascular endothelium generated by blood flow causes a release of calcium and subsequent cNOS activation. Therefore, increases in blood flow stimulate NO formation (flow-dependent NO formation). Second, endothelial receptors for a variety of ligands stimulate calcium release and subsequent NO production (receptor-stimulated NO formation). Included are receptors for acetylcholine, bradykinin, substance-P, adenosine, and many others vasoactive substances. In the late 1970s, Dr. Robert Furchgott observed that acetylcholine released a substance that produced vascular relaxation, but only when the endothelium was intact. This observation opened this field of research and eventually led to his receiving a Nobel prize. Initially, Furchgott called this substance endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), but by the mid-1980 he and others identified this substance as being NO.
The other isoform of endothelial NOS is iNOS. It differs, in part, from cNOS in that its activation is calcium independent. Under normal, basal conditions, the activity of iNOS is very low. The activity of iNOS is stimulated during inflammation by bacterial endotoxins (e.g., lipopolysaccharide) and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukins. During inflammation, the amount of NO produced by iNOS may be a 1,000-fold greater than that produced by cNOS.
Intracellular Mechanisms
When NO forms, it has a half-life of only a few seconds, in large part because superoxide anion has a high affinity for NO (both molecules have an unpaired electron making them highly reactive). Therefore, superoxide anion reduces NO bioavailability. NO also avidly binds to the heme moiety of hemoglobin (in red blood cells) and the heme moiety of the enzyme guanylyl cyclase, which is found in vascular smooth muscle cells and most other cells of the body. Therefore, when NO is formed by vascular endothelium, it rapidly diffuses into the blood where it binds to hemoglobin and subsequently broken down. It also diffuses into the vascular smooth muscle cells adjacent to the endothelium where it binds to and activates guanylyl cyclase. This enzyme catalyzes the dephosphorylation of GTP to cGMP, which serves as a second messenger for many important cellular functions, particularly for signalling smooth muscle relaxation.
Cyclic GMP induces smooth muscle relaxation by multiple mechanisms including
increased intracellular cGMP, which inhibits calcium entry into the cell, and decreases intracellular calcium concentrations (click here for details)
activates K+ channels, which leads to hyperpolarization and relaxation
stimulates a cGMP-dependent protein kinase that activates myosin light chain phosphatase, the enzyme that dephosphorylates myosin light chains, which leads to smooth muscle relaxation.
Because of the central role of cGMP in NO-mediated vasodilation, drugs (e.g., Viagra®) that inhibit the breakdown of cGMP (cGMP-dependent phosphodiesterase inhibitors) are used to enhance NO-mediated vasodilation, particularly in penile erectile tissue in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Increased cGMP also has an important anti-platelet, anti-aggregatory effect.
Vascular Effects of NO
Vascular actions of NO include the following:
Direct vasodilation (flow dependent and receptor mediated)
Indirect vasodilation by inhibiting vasoconstrictor influences (e.g., inhibits angiotensin II and sympathetic vasoconstriction)
Anti-thrombotic effect - inhibits platelet adhesion to the vascular endothelium
Anti-inflammatory effect - inhibits leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium; scavenges superoxide anion
Anti-proliferative effect - inhibits smooth muscle hyperplasia
Because of the above actions of NO, when its production is impaired or its bioavailability is reduced, the following can result:
Vasoconstriction (e.g., coronary vasospasm, elevated systemic vascular resistance, hypertension)
Thrombosis due to platelet aggregation and adhesion to vascular endothelium
Inflammation due to upregulation of leukocyte and endothelial adhesion molecules
Vascular hypertrophy and stenosis
Diseases or Conditions Associated with Abnormal NO Production and Bioavailability
Hypertension
Obesity
Dyslipidemias (particularly hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia)
Diabetes (both type I and II)
Heart failure
Atherosclerosis
Aging
Cigarette smoking
So could you all give me your opinion and post your experience with this supplement please?
